Lower Forty Saltwater Equipment RX

February 7, 2000

SELECTING THE PROPER FLY LINE

There’s no question about it, today’s saltwater angler has an infinite amount of choices when considering what fly lines to purchase. Without interviewing a potential customer it would be quite difficult to recommend a line suited to his needs before understanding the circumstances under which most of his fishing will occur. With this in mind, we will pursue the issue of line selection with caution and generalizations. While accuracy is important, casting distance come into play to a far greater degree than it does when trout fishing.

Probably the most frequently asked question posed by anglers is: Do I over-line my rod? Every premium fly rod manufacturer to the letter will suggest that you do not. I, however, over-line every rod I own over a 7 weight for one reason only; I can load (stress) the rod and achieve maximum line speed in a shorter amount of time, usually one, but never more than two false casts. This type of high line speed, minimal false casting should actually be renamed "fly shooting," because in essence, that’s what it is.

Most of today’s high performance saltwater lines maintain heads of 24-36 feet before tapering to a small diameter running line. It has always been my contention that optimum line speed cannot be generated, even by high modulus graphite’s, if asked to support 45-50 feet of line on the false cast, when gravity, resistance, large flies and weather conditions enter the mix.

As an ardent wader, most of my fishing occurs in water depths ranging from 1-15 feet, making line selection in this case, a simple task. I can literally fish the entire season with the benefit of only two lines, a Sci Anglers Mastery Cold Water Intermediate Striper Line (in my opinion the most efficient mono-clear line on the market, and believe me I’ve tried them all), and a Cortland 225 QD Saltwater Line (at $46 it’s a real bargain compared to similar lines on the market). Cortland improved this line in recent years introducing an intermediate running line (it was originally floating) accompanied by the 24 foot head. This 225 grain line sinks at the rate of 4.5 IPS, casts like a dream, and will effectively load rods from 6-9 weight with negligible hinging. Another great feature of these lines is their resistance to memory in the running line portion.

When fishing heavy current or slightly deeper water, you may also want to consider a 325 grain Cortland QD or similar. This line sinks at the rate of 5.5 IPS and will load rods in the 7-11 weight category. Here again, with the added grains hinging may be a bit more of an issue, particularly where lower modulus, or slower action rods are concerned. If it’s more depth I’m after, I prefer to select a heavier fly fished on a 225 than a denser line.

I personally see no need for a floating line in the northeast. While it is true that they are more effective in conjunction with a popper, slider or similar floating fly, their sheer mass is not conducive to casting into the elements and a good intermediate will turn over even the largest surface offerings and keep them floating if kept in constant motion during the entire retrieve.

Other intermediate lines worth mentioning are Cortland 444 SL Big Game Taper and Lee Wulff TT SWT series. The Wulff design in particular is well suited to distance casting under windy conditions, and , in effect, is a full fly line with a built-in shooting head.

A word on shooting heads. Let me state up front I’m not a big fan. Show of hands, how many anglers can tolerate a loop-to-loop or similar connection 30 feet from the business end of a fly line? With the tremendous variety and advancement in technology one can achieve the same benefits from a full fly line in lieu of a shooting head with only one exception, they save the cost of purchasing multiple spools for your fly reel.